RESTAURANT OWNER SEEKS TO REVIVE DRUG EDUCATION

Hugs Not Drugs Picks Up Where DARE Left Off

While helping to plan Forest Park's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade,
Harrison Street Cafe owner Sherri Ladd figured the parade would present an
excellent opportunity for the police department to publicize its DARE program.

When she visited the police department, however, she was surprised to find
out that the village had not had a DARE program for several years due to
past budget cuts.

"I asked, 'so who is talking to these kids about drugs?'" she recalled. The
answer, she discovered, was "nobody."

Almost immediately, Ladd went to work. She met with representatives from
the village's police department, Mayor Anthony Calderone and her various
contacts from the business community, eventually coming up with the concept
for a new drug and alcohol awareness group called "Hugs not Drugs."

Along with Mary Win Connor, Ladd assembled a group of about 20 kids for the
group's first meeting, held at the Forest Park Community Center in March.

"There's no cost to join, but the catch is you've got to sign a commitment
letter that while you're part of the group, if you choose to drink, drug or
smoke, you must leave the program," she said.

Hugs not Drugs members will organize fundraisers, including a May 21
pancake breakfast, to help fund future events and field trips.

"They'll cook, they'll serve, and they'll clean, and whatever money we
raise we'll plan something they'll do, which could be a dance, pool party
(or other activity)," said Ladd.

In addition, Ladd will donate the proceeds from her second annual Swinging
for Life women's softball tournament to the program. Last year's event
followed the annual Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer
Society and also raised funds for cancer research.

Though the program is intended to replace DARE, Ladd said there will be
some significant differences from the approach used by DARE, which
concentrates on bringing police officers into classrooms to discuss the
dangers of drug use.

"We didn't want to make it overly educational," she said. "Talking to a
9-year-old about methamphetamines can be difficult."

Instead, she said, organizers will try to come up with games that allow
children to learn lessons about drug use in a fun atmosphere. A version of
Red Light, Green Light which would require children to answer questions
about drugs before advancing was one example.

The program will divide children into different age groups to ensure that
activities are age appropriate. Though she originally intended the program
to include children ages 8 to 18, she said there has been some demand for
younger children to participate, and the age limits are flexible.

Eventually, she said, she hopes to form a panel of some of the older
members of the group to visit area schools and discuss what they have
learned with younger students.

"I want to have these kids talking to other kids and saying 'I don't do
drugs,'" she said. "At this point, it just bothers me that nobody's talking
to the kids."

She said she hopes to involve the police and fire departments as well as
her fellow Forest Park business owners in the process. The business
community, she said, can do their part by giving kids productive ways to
use their free time and showing them alternatives to drug use.

"Maybe one day Brown Cow can take a Saturday and teach kids how to run an
ice cream parlor," she suggested. "There are a lot of possibilities."

The pancake breakfast on May 21 will run from 8 a.m. to noon and will be
held on the second floor of the Park District's main building at 7501
Harrison Street.

Hugs not Drugs will hold its next meeting for kids on Wednesday, April 26
at 7 p.m. at the Forest Park Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd. New
members are welcome.